Scythe of the Heartless
by RedactedIdentity
Summary: Image cover of Scythe belongs to me. Latest chapter extract: Somewhere in the air duct system of the EPF facilities, a loud racket was going on. Many penguins raised their heads to look at the ceiling with confused concern as echoes of roars and clattering rattled above their offices, fading away after a few seconds.
1. Chapter 1: Dangerous Puffle

**The Scythe of the Heartless: Chapter 1**

**Dangerous Puffle**

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><p>Think in Mission-mode, just without the speech bubbles. Supply your own imaginary voices to characters.<p>

_GiGi/ Ebony speaking: I'm directing the movie, yeah._

Normal: The story goes on. Actually it begins.

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><p><em>Imagine darkness.<em>

_Imagine silence._

_The silence is quenched by the sound of distant, muffled voices, the darkess weakens and fades away into blinding light._

_Suddenly loud and clear:_

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><p>"What's making you so worried about this puffle, Agent PH?"<p>

The speaker with his solemn voice asked. The dark blue penguin looked up from his late night coffee and the paper in his flipper, causing his round glasses to gleam in the light.

It was Gary.

Seated opposite him, on the other end of the meeting table in the CR, was a frustrated and exhausted-looking PH.

"A lot, G," she said quietly.

The inventor adjusted his glasses and studies the puffle trainer, perplexed. Sitting beside G, Rookie does the same.

"Agent, I don't see why you consider this matter so urgent that you put much needed rest to one side to talk to me."

He straightened his tie wearily.

"But I will look into it, if that's what you want."

G turned his attention back to the paper and scanned the words.

After a moment, he cleared his throat.

"So this black puffle's name is Scythe. It's been drafted into the elite team about a month ago and trained. Other than being slightly different from its kind, I don't see anything worrisome about it."

"Scythe is dangerous, don't you understand?"

The trainer stood up and gestured with her flippers in agaitation.

"The puffle has been trained by Sensei to use weapons. The purpose was originally to teach it to be a bodyguard, and defend its charge, but now the situation has crossed the line. Apparently no one told Sensei ONLY to teach it defence tactics. And the thing is, if we had taken any other puffle, I wouldn't be worried at all! This puffle, Scythe, it's smart. It knows how to use weapons, and it's not afraid to use it. It could attack whom it sees as enemies, be it bear, or crab, or penguins." She drew out the emphasis on the last word. G was evidently unsettled, while Rookie's lower jaw had already hit the table.

"Worse still, if you get in its way, consider yourself in its enemy list. Scythe doesn't have...kindess? Oh, I don't know the right word for it. It doesn't have consideration? A conscience? A heart, figuratively speaking? But it can cause serious injury without feeling the least remorse or guilt. Absolutely no hesitation. It did that once, while it was in the Pet Shop. That's why it got sent to me. The shop assistant apparently did something that displeased it. The puffle got angry, and then guess what? It threw the penguin right across the room with pure mind power. Do you know how darned STRONG its telekinesis would have to be to do that?"

The agent paused, because she realized she was having an outburst, and sat down hastily, reddening at the cheeks. More calmly, she continued.

"Scythe neeeds a penguin to take care of its many fussy demands. I can't handle it on my own, not with all the other puffles I have to look out for. The previous helper was Agent SugarAnne16, but now she's withdrawn. I need your advice, G."

Gary rubbed the side of his beak thoughtfully.

Rookie, who had been wisely silent during the whole talk, piped up.

"We can put him back in the wild, can't we?"

PH groaned.

"That's the worst we can do, Rookie. As I said before, Scythe is clever. It could find its way back to us, and who knows what it'll do if it resents us for 'putting it out'. Besides, if Herbert finds out about its fighting abilities, and manages to get his grubby paws on that puffle, I wouldn't like to think what could happen. Klutzy the crab is bad enough. We definitely don't need an elite on the 'dark' side."

"Should we keep it confined?" G suggested.

"No. That's bad. That'd make it hate us for taking away its freedom. It'll become an uncontrollable monster."

In the silence that followed, Rookie said, "Looks like we could just hand Scythe over to the next agent that walks in as an assignment and hope for the best, until we can find a better plan for it."

"I'm inclined to agree with you, Rookie," G sighed in defeat.

"I have a white puffle. It's name is Smoky Fog."

Shocked silence.

(Almost at the same time)

G: Who is that?

R: Not me!

PH: Whoah...

"Eek. Be scared, be afraid, be very, very afraid. It is I," a low female voice said dramatically in a flat, unamused tone. A figure stepped into the light. The newcomer was a lime green penguin wearing a bright pink and blue scarf and a black hoodie and a black, studded hat with a fake small fish skeleton on its side.

"Agent L," G relaxed, "we didn't hear you coming in."

"Nobody does," L shrugged. "Chill. I didn't eavesdrop. Only heard something about an assignment and hope and a better plan." She added, since PH looked wary. G seized up the chance.

"Talking about assignments, are you willing to take this dangerous case?"

"Fire up right away, G." The penguin plopped herself into a seat next to PH. The light revealed that, beneath the shabow of the cap, the penguin's lime green left cheek was flecked with splatters of light blue. Her left flipper that rested on the table was purple. It was a funky and disorienting effect, like L had knocked over a few pots of paint some time ago and didn't bother to recolour herself again. PH looked bothered. "G, as much as I respect your judgement and L's ability as an agent, I don't think that Scythe's case..."She trailed off when G held up a flipper.

"Unfortunately, we have no choice, PH. L is willing to tackle this case, which is good because this urgent matter has to be dealt with ASAP. Like you previously said. It's a dangerous puffle, but better it being on our side than Herbert's."

The brown penguin slumped down in her seat. Agent L coughed and raised a purple flipper apolegetically. "Um, may I ask what is going on? You sound like you're gonna hand me a living time bomb."

"That's almost correct."

"Gulps nervously," L uttered under her breath.

"This assignment will take an unknown amout of time, maybe a week or two, so be prepared. You have to look after this puffle," so saying, Gary gave the penguin the paper and continued," You must attend to its demands with speed, with precision and definitely, without error. This puffle can cause harm to penguins if angered, so keep a close eye on it." G turned to PH. "Hand her the list that SugarAnne16 gave you." PH reluctantly passed it to L. The multi-coloured penguin scanned the list. "Gosh and shogs," she said with some awe and read some points out loud. "Bath water must be luke warm, or Scythe will scorch a black mark on your igloo trying to heat it up to the right temperature...Bubblegum must be mint flavoured...Allow Scythe to go out at seven p.m. to eight p.m. That's his playtime: he goes to the Ice Rink to skateboard. Don't try to detain him. He is very punctual, so if he isn't back by then, something might have happened...Scythe's hair needs to be dried after each bath, because his hair is too thick for him to shake all the water off...don't ever babytalk Scythe; someone could get hurt...don't underestimate him in any way." She chuckled slightly. "This little guy sure is fussy."

G noted the change in her personality and tensed up_. Better get it over and done with before she..._

"Indeeed. Operation Puffle Guard starts tomorrow, nine a.m. sharp. Get ready to meet him by then. By the way, try and win its loyalty over. It's not easy, but we wouldn't want it to change sides if Herbert discovers its speciality and talks it over."

L smiled sinisterly. "You're asking the wrong penguin, G. I'm no good at winning hearts over."

G sighed in defeat for the second time that night. "I hope you realize the seriousness of this mission, agent."

"Righto, G. You smart, hey. Putting an oddball and a weirdo together...hnhnhn," she laughed that dark, closed-beak laugh that meant she flipped into another of her modes.

_Maybe it was a mistake..._G thought.

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><p>In the Elevator "Zap":<p>

L: You don't look too happy, Puffle Handler.

PH: I don't trust you with Scythe.

L: I don't really care if you trust me or not, but do tell me. I'm so curious. (sweet voice)

PH: I know your real name, Agent L, and the things that follow.

L: That is offensive. You're being 'name-ist'. What things have you heard, I wonder.

PH: Things like you being watched by the PSA before and the command given by the very Director that Dot has to keep an eye on you. In my opinion, I don't think a undependable penguin like you should be here at all.

L: Rumors, blah blah! The cruel things penguins say! Spare me. You're being a bit mean. (waves a flipper around)

(Elevator door opens)(L steps out first)

PH: I'm watching you, LovelessHart.

L: Watch all you want. (drops voice low) I always like to have a bit of an audience. (grins)

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><p><em>GiGiEbony:_

_Then the screen goes dark. End._

_ Er, ok, time to take a break. Review and tell me what you think! I'd really like to know. Light's on please. See you at the next show~!_

_A/N: Changed L's name, since it seems a bit weird. *sweatdrop ^^;_

_MORE REVIEWS = FASTER UPDATE! XD_

_Go check out this story's status on my profile to see whether I'm working on it...or not._


	2. Chapter 2: Room Mates

**The Scythe of the Heartless: Chapter 2**

**Room Mates**

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><p><em>This is how L and Scythe meet each other:<em>

Both arrived within minutes of each other, L first, because she was bored, and Scythe after, because he was detained by PH. The punctual-freak puffle arrived in the CR by 9:00:49, which was enough for him to feel slightly annoyed at PH for saying things he didn't think as necessary, like don't trust that penguin, keep his guard up and stuff. G had been briefing the multi-coloured penguin when the other duo entered. "...Morning, PH. You can bring the puffle here." The brown penguin obeyed, picking up the dark puffle and setting him down on the conference table gingerly. L leaned forward with anticipation.

"Let's hope this goes well," Gary exhaled to himself.

They stared at each other for a long time. Quite suddenly, L reached out a purple flipper and flicked the side of Scythe's cheek, not hard, like a proper flick, but a casual brush. The unusually dark puffle narrowed his eyes, ready to feel irked, but not sure what to make the meaning of her action before he reacted. "Cookie crumb," L explained coolly. "I'm Agent L, real name LovelessHart, nickname, Elle or Hart, but I guess you don't care." The penguin leaned closer to Scythe's face, leaving only a O-berry's gap between them. The puffle didn't back away. "Nice to meet you," she breathed, _Scythe_, _I'll talk to you properly once we're out of here._ The puffle kept his pokerface on perfectly, although he was a little startled by her brief display of mind-to-mind speaking on puffle frequency. Smiling mirthlessly, she rose up from her chair. "C'mon, let's go home without much ado and yap-yap, room mate. I want to go home and digest my breakfast in peace." Scythe hopped off the table and followed L into the Elevator reluctantly. The trainer and inventor were completely flabbergasted. "Well, I was worried for quite a bit that she was going to flip modes there," Gary confessed out of the blue a few moments later. PH turned to him with confusion.

"What modes?"

"Guess you don't know her story. L was in an accident some time ago, of what kind, I can't reveal. It caused her to have the unique appearance she has, and apparently...did things to her mind and changed the way it works. She's got different modes or sides, like a dice. So far I have confirmed six 'personalities' and dubbed them after the first six months of the year. Jan is the one you see most often, when she's serious, while Feb is her more friendly side. March is the moody one and April is loud and challenging. May, I've only seen once, and June is rather sinister. She was there yesterday, briefly. It's really complicated. Every day that 'dice' gets tossed inside her head, and we always hope that it doesn't land on six too much. That's why we have to keep an eye on her. There's no telling what June can do."

He sighed and said, "Right, I'm going back to my cup of coffee. It's a new day with wonderful catastrophes ahead," with weary sarcasm.

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><p>L opened the door of her cabin and let Scythe hop in first, who glanced around critically. There weren't a lot of furnitures in her home, but it was simple and spacious because of the lack of clutter.<p>

"It's not much, I know. There's your sleeping quarters." She gestured vaguely to the left.

Scythe gave her a skeptical look.

_What is this?_

"Your makeshift bed."

_It's hanging in the air._

"Yeah, it's a mini hammock. There wasn't a puffle bed in the box of things sent here, so you'll have to make do with a DIY hammock, a _cushy _pillow and a blanket. I don't have much money to waste. If you don't like it, you can sleep on the floor...along with Smoky Fog. She has a curious personality, so she'd bound to intrude into your personal space a lot. That's why I put your bed higher, since she can't jump. You should thank me, Scythe."

_Another puffle? _Scythe groaned.

A small white puffle hopped out from under a small blanket lying on the floor.

_Elly?_

She saw Scythe and stared at the darker-than-average, larger-than-usual black puffle.

"New room mate, Smoky. He's my special guest," L introduced abenstly.

Smoky went on staring. Scythe ignored her and leapt into the hammock to test it out.

_It's not bad...I'll test try a nap in it._

He settled in, getting used to the small swinging movements. L flopped into her own bunk with a sigh.

"Sorrowful life of a miser."

She looked at Scythe in his hammock, just parallel her own bed and a flipper's stretch away.

"Okay, bad boy, I think we need to talk."

Scythe cracked one eye open to look back at her.

"I'll leave the long talk for later. But I have one rule I have to say first, before anything."

_What?_

"Don't burn the house down. It's not so durable like an igloo."

_Acknowledged._

"Good. I guess it's chill time for now. I'm going to read the paper."

She got up. Smoky Fog was still where she had been just now, her eyes still wide and...sparkly.

"Smoky, are you blushing?"

The slightly pink puffle hurriedly denied it.

L eyed her disbelievingly.

"Don't tell me you have a crush-at-first-sight on him." She groaned.

_I'm just shy! _She squeaked with panic and dived under the cover of her blanket, only to peek out a moment later and gaze at Scythe's dozing form.

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><p><em>Gigi:<em>

_Curtains down...!_

_Ok, it's a short chapter, but a fast update. Be happy~_

_ Much thanks to SilentReader for giving me his/her first review *whoot! throws confetti* I am delighted ^^ and also to Smiley who is my first reviewer for my first story ever (P&P) and now a constant visitor! You guys make me SMILE. =)_

_Unmentioned: Scythe changed his way of speaking after he heard of Arty's...end, and he became more troublesome after that incident. What does it mean? ;P Will be revealed next chap?_

_Still the same last words- _

_More reviews mean a faster update and less lazing off from my side!_

_(Spoiler* next chappie contains a small part of irked Scythe, ready to kick-behinds! So you better review if you wans to read it sooner~ =D)_

_And remeber to check out my profile for the Story Status._

_Much love... Catch you at the next show._


	3. Chapter 3: First Steps Closer

**The Scythe of the Heartless: Chapter 3**

**First Steps Closer**

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><p>L was a quick learner. Scythe only felt grumpy once during the next two days when she forgot about the dark chocolate chip cookies. They had a tolerant companionship with each other, which was pretty good for Scythe already. It was like that with his previous caretaker, SugarAnne16, who was a little too talkative to his liking. Although L did talk to him, at least she didn't <span>fuss<span> (the 'long talk' turned out to be about rules, and at most lasted thirty seconds). But if Scythe thought that it'd stay like that for the next few weeks, boy, he was wrong. Put together, they were one big trouble magnet. Things were bound to happen. So the first indicent:

_(Rememeber to 'see' it in Mission mode, just replace the speech bubbles with voices~!)_

Presently Scythe was waiting outside the Dance Club for L, who had been dragged inside by a snobby pink penguin for a round of Dance Competition. It had something to do with a boy penguin that L apparently had rejected -'broked his heart to eety pieces'-and Pinks was here for revenge. An utterly unfazed L had been subject to the penguin's ranting and finally challenged to a game which she accepted so that she could get rid of this annoying penguin. "I'll try and finish ASAP," L had whispered to him as she looped his black leash aroung one of the poles. Scythe merely puffle-nodded.

The Town wasn't as busy as it usually was, since most penguins were down at the Docks listening to the one and only Penguin Band. Only three young penguins were playing Snowball Wars there. Scythe was almost dozing off when a off-course snowball hit him. Immediately he bristled up and growled.

"Sorry!" The brown penguin yelled as he continued pelting his orange friend.

The other one, a green penguin that was closer to Scythe than the others, stared.

Green: Hey, it growled! Aren't puffles supposed to squeak?

Brown: What? You must have heard wrong, Brad-O. (throws a snowball at Brad's back)

Brad: (brushes snow off and frowns stubbornly) But it did! Listen!

Scythe: (falls silent)

Brad: Oh. It stopped. (disappointed)

Orange: (lumbers over and grins) Lemme hear too! (takes a snowball from a pile and chucks it at Scythe)

Scythe: (hops to one side and growls)

Brown: (uneasy) Knock it off, Harry. We're still playing Territory and no one's won yet.

Harry: (laughs and points at Scythe) Blooming fireworks! It growled! It really did! Cooool! Do it again!

(picks up another snowball, tosses it at Scythe)

Scythe: (dodges again)

-The snowball splatters against the wall and a bit goes into Scythe's eyes, making him wince, which Harry finds amusing-

Harry: (laughs unkindly at Scythe) Did you see that, Jonno? This puffle is weird!

Jonno: (uneasy) Stow it, guys. You're being mean to the puffle.

Brad: Shucks, Jonno, you sound like a partypooper! (joins in and throws snowball at Scythe) Come on, ya mean little monster of a hairball! Show me whatcha got! (taunts)

Scythe: (snarls angrily as he gets even more annoyed)

Harry: (picks up two snowballs at once) Squeak-ity squeak squeak, I am a furry freak! Hahahaha! (throws the snowballs at Scythe)

Brad: Great rhyme Harry! (laughs with Harry)

-One of the snowballs hit Scythe with a 'whump'-

Scythe lost it. The enraged puffle lunged forward at his two tormentors, teeth bared, eyes ablaze with fury. He summoned out a heavy metal chain from his personal 'keep-space' in midair, something Sensei had taught him, and him only. His leash broke from the pole. Harry stumbled back, still grinning, but fear showed in his eyes. The mean penguin hadn't heard of puffles attacking penguins before, but this one looked ready to kill. Scythe cannonballed into someone that hadn't been there previously with so much force it sent both of them crashing into the nearby snowbank under the trees. Restraining flippers wrapped around Scythe, and on fighting instincts, he sank his teeth into one of them...hard. The muffled curse made him realize it was L who had jumped into his path.

_Dee ay em en! Scythe! _She gasped breathelessly. _Calm down, bad boy. Act with me here._

The lime green penguin leapt to her feet, set him down, and glared at the penguins with all the wrath of Mama Tiger envoked. Scythe was impressed.

"JUST WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY PUFFLE?" She roared in terrifying capitals.

Harry was already scrabbling away, intimidated by this tough looking, fearsome she-penguin. Brad oggled at her.

"I'm going to report that puffle," he wailed, "it was going to beat us up!"-when L was the one who took the blow. L picked up the chain by her feet and stepped forward menacingly.

"Boy, you better think carefully..." She said with a snarl that was as sinister as Scythe's. Playing along, the elite manipulated the chain to start writhing like a snake.

Brad meeped once and fled. Only Jonno was left.

He bowed his head apologetically.

"I'm sorry that my friends..."He gestured lamely. "I should have stopped them."

"Just say the truth if they report me, OK?" L gave the younger penguin a friendly punch on his shoulder, dropping her fury act like a coat. The glum pengion nodded and waddled off. LovelessHart stared at the sunset for a moment, before saying in monotone, "Let's go home." Without looking at Scythe, she returned his chain, picked up his black-silver leash and walked back in the direction of the residentual area. Scythe hopped behind her, curious why she didn't scold him for what just happened. After a while of trudging in the snow, the black puffle realized something was wrong with L. She was limping slightly, her breathing was strained. He looked down at the snowy ground thoughtfully, and noticed a splotch of red before him.

L was hurt.

The blood he tasted in his mouth was hers.

Any weaker penguin would have freaked out at the sight of blood and hopped around madly with sheer agony. Penguin flippers were thin, flexible and sensitive. The pain L was going through soundlessly was probably spreading throughout her purple flipper to numb her entire arm. It was remarkable she wasn't reeling from the pain.

Scythe didn't feel guilty. L ran into his path out of her own will to block him. It wasn't really his fault that she was hurt. What he did feel was quiet admiration at her feat of biting back the pain and controlling herself to remain calm...although she did not know it, L had gained his respect. Scythe's respect was something difficult to earn, but once you had it, he regarded you more closely and that, in Scythe's-to-normal terms, was almost like accepting you as a type of 'friend', which meant that you advanced from 'no one in particular, just another life on this world' to 'someone different than the others'. Only a certain yellow puffle had gained his admiration before for his foolish, stubborn-headed devotion to a blinded penguin. That was why Scythe had felt at a loss when he heard that Arty had passed away: he regarded him as someone.

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><p>As soon as they entered the cabin, L tossed a "Go melt the snow in your hair by the fire" over her shoulder at him before searching for a first aid kit. Smoky gasped when she noticed the blood trickling down L's flipper.<p>

_What happened? Did you get attacked?_ She asked with concern, hopping besides L as she took out the kit and headed for the table.

_I bit her._ Scythe grunted from his spot beside the fire.

_? _ Smoky slowly blinked once with confusion, then decided to drop it.

L wiped off the blood, gingerly applied ointment to the bite mark before wrapping a bandage around it, hissing as she did. Then she turned to the red mark on her right foot, caused by the heavy metal chain lashing into her, and patched it up too. There most probably a bruise where Scythe had cannonballed into her. Smoky did what she could to help while Scthe watched on. When L finished tending to her injuries, she exhaled heavily. "Come here, you villian." Scythe hopped over. "Is your hair dry?" She ran her unhurt flipper through his tousled hair. "I should scold you, but I don't have the energy." The penguin turned away, called Smoky over and dutifully fed and brushed her one-flipperedly. Night fell slowly. L changed into her sleep-shirt, a sinple black top with the white capitals "I DON"T WANNA WAKE UP" on it, locked the door and put out the fire.

"Night, Scythe. Sweet dreams, Smoky," she yawned and collapsed into bed. Smoky squeaked a sleepy reply. Scythe stayed silent. Tonight L lay on her back since she wasn't be able to sleep on her stomach or on her left side. Pale moonlight shone in from a gap between the curtains onto L's face. The penguin stared up at the white orb in the sky sleeplessly. A small rock of dread sat in her stomach. Something landed beside her, startling her out of her trance. It was Scythe.

"What now, bad boy?" she asked softly.

The black puffle nudged her hurt flipper gently before staring into her eyes searchingly.

It was the closest to an apology Scythe had ever given, although he wasn't the least bit sorry or ashamed. He was just concerned, and disgruntled with the fact that he was actually worrying over someone. L smiled faintly. "I'll live, don't worry." She flicked his cheek lazily, the way she did when they first met. Satisfied, Scythe coughed once and melted back into the shadows to his hammock.

_G'night_. He said at last.

"Sleep tight."

Silence returned to the igloo. L continued to stare at the moon until finally she fell away to Wonderland where a white moon puffle, a dark star puffle, and a yellow puffle shining bright as the sun all revolved around each other.

**End...**

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><p>He opened his eyes, his sleep suddenly gone. The air felt heavy and electric like a brooding storm cloud of bad omens. Scythe could feel something going on, something not right. His keen eyes scanned around in the darkness. L was sitting at the wooden table. There was another penguin there, a penguin that kept flickereing in and out of reality. Scythe could detect a mind-speaking from the strange visitor on a high wave frequency, one more complicated than a puffle's. He couldn't make out much, only the number six. Under the visitor's strong mind-speaking, L drooped like a wilting flower. What was going on? Her eyes, wide open, were dull. With a jolt, Scythe realized that the intruder was mind-controlling L like a toy robot. The green penguin slumped over the table, a sad discarded puppet. The other penguin, still flickering like a bad movie or a ghost, strode over to Scythe. It knew he was awake. Scythe gristled at those vacuum-like eyes and got ready to leapt out.<p>

_[[**FORGET**]]_

The command was emitted so powerfully it was like slamming a door shut right in his face. Scythe blacked out instantly. The memory of what he had just witnessed crumpled up like a piece of paper and fell into the sea of his darkest concious, the words spreading out and vanishing forever until the remaining ball of material was just a forgotten dream, sinking down into the depths where more lost things swayed in the flow of water, never to see the light of concious again.

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><p>Ebony:<p>

_Thanks for the reviews! I don't have Microsoft Word on the new laptop so sorry for mistakes. Next chapter, **June goes 'Klutzy'**, should hint at what is going to happen soon. Review _YEAH_ so that you can get a faster update. See you around some time._


	4. Chapter 4: 'June' goes 'Klutzy'

Here is your update, people =) Thanks for the ALL of the reviews~! This chapter might be a little rough since I wrote it rather hurriedly for the sake of those who were waiting XD...I'll improve it once I have time.

Replies:

_At Smiley: Your review made me laugh ^^; You sounded kinda shocked (to me anywayz)_

_At JKDD: You're right! I've never noticed that before...0.o *oggle*_

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><p><em>Warning: some action and penguin langauge<em>

**The Scythe of the Heartless: Chapter Four**

**'June' goes 'Klutzy'**

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><p>Scythe watched as L changed into her clothes for the day.<p>

Something was off...

The elite noted that she had replaced her black hoodie with a black vest, and instead of her usual colourful 'neckband', she picked a small black tie. L paused in the middle of adjusting her collar and gave Scythe a sideways questioning look with a sly upward curve on the edge of her beak.

"What's wrong, storm cloud?" She asked almost mockingly. There was a dangerous, lively glint in her eyes. This definitely wasn't the usual penguin Scythe had come to know as L. The black puffle said nothing as he rolled out of his hammock and landed on the wooden floor. He had the faintest feeling of vital information that slipped his mind, but try as he might to remember, the blurry gap stayed.

_Be careful._

Smoky Fog warned from her sleeping pouch, and then went slightly pink.

_What's with her? _Scythe asked.

_I don't know. But when she goes like this, she tends to say weird things._

The puffle reddened even more and retreated back into the safety of her blanket. L put on her fish-bone hat, the fish skull looking a bit more toothy today, and pulled it down over her tinted shades. She looked like serious business today.

_Do you want your breakfast now?_ She asked the two puffles in mind-speak, which on ordinary cases she barely used, since it drained her energy.

_Not yet,_ Smoky cheeped as she reluctantly emerged from her cozy pouch on the floor.

_Oh really? Make sure, 'cause I'm taking you on a run around._ L grinned.

_I guess I'll have it now then..._

As Smoky chewed on her food, L strode toward the door, unlocked it and took a deep breath.

"Good morning, Polka! Lovely weather, isn't it?" The lime green penguin crowed to the trees, before smiling smugly at her surroundings. "Let the hide and seek begin."

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><p>Bad news, G. June's the dominant one today/ Dot reported.

/Don't loose sight of her; she'll be up to something tricky/

/I'll do my best/ The agent replied grimly.

Trouble was stirring.

* * *

><p>Scythe was rereading the F.I.S.H. with his glasses on when L returned with an exhausted Smoky Fog behind her. She unclipped Smoky's leash speedily and turned to Scythe.<p>

"Bored, Scythe?" She smirked and continued in mind-speak,

_I've thrown my 'shadow' off for a moment, so let's have some fun._ _How about an unofficial mission concerning Herbert and Klutzy. You want to play?_

Scythe took off his glasses slowly, still wary of this different personality in L.

"C'mon," she chuckled breathlessly, _we should pay our little friend a surprise visit today._

_Friend?_

_Misterrr Klutzeh da crab, yah know._

_You know of his current location? _

_Oh, my guts tell me that little red pest is around somewhere. Just tag along! Don't you like some action-packed excitement?_

Scythe closed his book.

_Fine._

And off they went.

* * *

><p><em>How long do we have to go through this still? <em>The black puffle growled impatiently.

_Hey, I'm the one who is supposed to complain. You can hop; I have to crawl! Anyway, I don't want to be seen by my 'shadow'. Although she probably traced me by now._

L froze in the middle of dragging herself out from under the bushes suddenly, and Scythe could sense her excitement building up.

_Oohhh! Right ahead! Klutzy's at the back of the Pizza Parlour scouring for seaweed pizza scraps to give Herbert. Get him, Scythe! I'll be there soon!_

_How did you know all the details?_ He asked skeptically.

_Just guessing. Now go!_

Scythe gave L one last uncertain glance before hopping ahead.

He spotted something red skittering around in the clearing. It was Klutzy. The fighter elite carefully drew out a short blade out of his keep-space. He wasn't sure if this was a capture or a fight, but he was just following his head. Which meant he was going to attack. The crab continued to rumage through the 'failed/burned pizza' bin without noticing the black puffle approaching it from behind steathily. L stayed frozen where she was wisely, in case she might alert the crab to their presence. It was only by 'bad guy's' luck that Klutzy turned around by chance just as Scythe neared.

...The crab stared in shock.

Scythe seized the chance and plunged the blade down. Klutzy skittled to one side, narrowly avoiding the lethal blow.

Clack clickit clakt! Klutzy's claws waved around angrily.

Translation: _Get away from me!_

Scythe didn't reply as the blade cut through the air. The crab parried it off with a claw. The blade only left a small scratch on the hard exoskeleton. The puffle attacked a few more times experimentally, his mind quickly accepting that hacking at a crab with a small blade wasn't enough. Crabs were pretty tough on the outside. L scrambled up from the snow.

"Use something heavier!" She suggested.

The small blade immediately disappeared, and a spiked metal ball on a chain materialized.

"Oooch, that one's mean," L commented with glee, "I like it."

The menacing weapon ploughed through the snow after an escaping Klutzy who was running towards L. According to Klutzy's experience, penguin were, well, clumsy when they had to catch him with their bare flippers, that was why they used gadgets and other things to help them. So L didn't stand too much of the threat in his eyes. The scary weapon and the black puffle behind it was the true danger. His plan was to skim right under the green penguin's flipper speedily and make a hasty retreat. But the crab had underestimated L: June had brought something along.

The green penguin grinned evilly as she produced two large frying pans from her inventory.

"Chef special of today: smashed, smoked, steamed, or skewered crab on seaweed salad. " She announced and twirled her kitchen weapons with ease. "Of course, we'll fry some clickety answers out before we serve this rare dish to our neighoring sharks...or maybe deliver it straight into the paws of the Esquire. Mister Herbert will surely be...surprised."

Everything in Klutzy clicked 'DANGER DANGER DANGER'. He had a puffle with a deadly weapon after him and a crazed green penguin before him. One wanted to kill him, the other wanted to cook him. His flight instinct was on. The crab put more speed into his thin legs and ducked away. A pan slammed down with killer force into the snow to his left, the other barricaded his right, the spiked ball smashed through the snow behind, the crazy penguin was blocking his path...with all this destructive chaos all aimed on him, Klutzy was cornered. And cornered creatures have to fight back to make a gap of escape or die.

The crab leapt up at L.

Scythe saw it all in slow motion.

L fell back on reflex at the sight of a crab flying at her face, Klutzy raised one claw, plunged it into her chest...right on the spot where she had been bruised. A flask of agony flickered across L's expression, to be replaced by something else a second later. The crab took the chance to escape. But L, even though she was down on the ground, wasn't done yet. She whammed down one of the frying pans right on top of Klutzy. The crab was trapped. His frantic tapping could be heard as he tried to get out of his prison.

"Finish the job, Scythe,"L gasped, obviously winded by the blow, "Just knock him out. Don't kill."

At that moment, another penguin ran into the scene.

Agent Dot.

"What are you doing, L?" Scythe and the lime green penguin froze for a second.

L scrambled up, not wanting to look injured before her 'shadow', even though she was having difficulty breathing.

"Mff, just dealing with a troublesome creature," she tried to talk normally but ended up wheezing slightly. A loud banging noise distacted them. Klutzy had crawled out from under the pan and was making a run for it. L nodded at Scythe. "Get him." Without wasting another second, Scythe went after the crab.

The black puffle knew he wouldn't be able to catch up with Klutzy. After all, the crab had eight rickety legs and he had...none. If he had been a normal black puffle, he would have popped an O-berry into his mouth and fly after the crab, but he wasn't. Food could not 'ignite' him. The crab was putting more distance between them already. Scythe narrowed his eyes. His mind went back to the moment when the crab had struck L. He had to find a way to make himself angry enough to fire up.

So if he put it like this, just for 'pretend-it's-real', he was L's bodyguard, L was his guardian, his job was to protect her and the crab had attacked her, then...

The training he had received kicked into gear.

L had given him an order, and he was going to follow it.

The large black puffle burst into flames. Klutzy looked behind and panicked. Scythe was closing in as he rocketed towards Klutzy. The crab skidded to a stop, hoping that his pursuer would fly overhead, but the elite saw the small movement that told him exactly what the red crab was going to do. He summoned out a small, strong hook attached to a light chain, and caught one of the crab's claws with the hook. The crab clacked as he got dragged into the air by Scythe who was flying higher through the trees.

The game wasn't up yet.

Klutzy smartly grabbed onto a passing strong branch and unhooked his other claw before falling down to the snow-covered ground with a clatter and scrambling for cover. Scythe spun around, hurtled down like a hawk and landed on the crab, scorching Klutzy for a few seconds before a claw swiped at him and knocked him off. The crab finally pulled himself under a thick tangle of shrubs where Scythe couldn't get him.

Scythe listened intently as the crab crawled further away. His flames died. Klutzy had gotten away again, although this time with some burns. The black puffle growled frustratedly before heading back to where L and Dot was. He had failed.

_The crab managed to escape,_ he reported solemnly as soon as he saw L.

But the scene before him...

**Pam! **

"Scowl you, Dot..." L snarled in pain and in anger.

She stumbled back heavily like she had been hit in her side.

"I'll..."

Her eyes caught sight of Scythe.

"Cheerios," she rasped to him with a bitter smile curling one side of her mouth, before her eyes glazed over.

Scythe watched, paralyzed, as she collapsed into the snow and...

didn't

get

up

again.

The other agent sighed, lowering her weapon.

"You leave me with no choice, June," she said to the unmoving form on the ground.

_What..._

_just happened...?_

* * *

><p><em> Sorry for another cliffhanger...<em>

_I'll give you a rope._

_Review? *ducks behind a wall*_

_Go check out my profile to see this story's status =B_

_*dodges brick thrown at her*_

_Ok, bye~_


	5. Chapter 5: Elite Puffles

**(Hahaha =w=; I got confused between FFF and Heartless Scythe...SORRY SMILEY AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO REVIEWED! *weeps* FORGIVE ME PLEASE!)**

Did some wiki-ing for the Elite Puffle Team, not so sure of their gender so I'm doing it my way. =) Might seem a little OOC to you maybe, but you never really know what goes on in a puffle's mind.

Puffle society sometimes isn't as simple and cute as penguins think...

* * *

><p><strong>The Scythe of the Heartless: Chapter 5<strong>

**Elite Puffles**

* * *

><p>Scythe was mad.<p>

He didn't know what the frost was going on at all, and he hated that.

Being stuck in the Elite Puffle Living Quarters was driving him crazy. He would have broken the automatic sliding door long ago...if it hadn't been made from metal and steel. The elite puffle snarled with frustration.

_You can't break that door; they've reinforced it the last time you cranked it open._

Scythe whirled around to face Chill the white puffle.

_Go away, pipsqueak..._ He rumbled angrily.

_Alright, big guy,_ Chill backed off warily, _I'll do just that._

The small puffle hopped away to continue the game of Ice Bubbles with Loop.

Scythe gave the door one last glare before turning away.

Flare was around here, somewhere...

Pop suddenly emerged out from her 'apartment' and blocked Scythe's path.

_Ah, the freak is back..._

_Get out of my way._

_You're as rude and ill-mannered as always, aren't you?_

_I said get out of my path. Or do you want me to smash your sunglasses beyond repair? _Scythe threatened. Pop hastily put her sunglasses in her keep-space before eyeing the larger puffle smugly.

_Now you can't._

Scythe rolled his eyes. He was in no mood for Pop's snobbing. With a single burst of telekinesis, he shoved the purple puffle out of his path, causing her to hurtle into some fluffy toys nearby.

_I'll get you back for this! _Pop shrieked shrilly.

_Pop! goes the puffle, _he said flatly and hopped on.

_Puffle freaks like you shouldn't be in the elite team! _The purple puffle seethed as he left.

_Get used to it._

The fighter puffle found Flare in a corner. Chirp was there too.

_Wassah, Scy. _The welder greeted nonchalantly as he studied the small structure before him.

_Not so sharp. _The darker black puffle replied. _What's this?_

_Art collab with Chirp over here: Copper sculpture. Pretty interesting work of art: challenging, but very entertaining._

So saying, Flare pulled down his mask and proceeded weld another part together with care. Scythe watched for a moment.

_Heya, Reaper of the Dark, _Chirp greeted when she looked up from her sketch, _I can sense a storm in your sky. Which way is the wind blowing?_

Scythe glanced at her and the memory of Arty flashed past his mind.

_Ignore the lightning, Tweets. Sharpo here doesn't like puffles probing into his emotional problems._ Flare added between blue breaths of flame.

_What's with this sync between you two? _Scythe grumbled moodily. _Are you two bonded?_

Chirp gave him an offended look while Flare immediately stopped his work and tugged up his mask, showing an incredibly unamused expression beneath.

_Alright, Scythe, _Flare said grimly, _what's gone off the ramp? This isn't you._

Scythe let his gaze drop to the floor.

_...they shot her._

Chirp gasped. _Your current guardian?_

_Yeah._

Flare studied him thoughtfully.

_Chillax, EPF won't hurt their own agents. She'll be fine. You should cool down before you flame out on the penguins. Go listen to music on my mp3. That'll help. _The welder offered. Scythe sighed.

_Alright..._

* * *

><p>Heh, purple puffles strike me as snobbish creatures. Did you see that oh-so-high-and-fabulous look on their faces? XD<p>

Bromance over here~

Before you ask questions:

Chirp talks weirdly since she comes up with her own crazy phrases and names. Flare seems to have picked up the habit from her. (They spend quite a lot of time together, graffiting the wall, making a mess for the janitor to clean up and generally doing cool stuff. 8D ?)

Wassah means What's up.

Bonding means something like dating, not married, ok?

R E V I E W for better updates sooner =B


	6. Chapter 6: Creature of the Night

So satisfied with this chapter.

* * *

><p><em>Replies:<em>

_At Smiley: SORRY! TAT..._

_At JKDD: Oh yes, a violent prone puffle he is! 0w0 Well, I'm not a member too (If I was, I'd already have an Arty, Scythe and Smoky XD They're my favs) *jealous face* I made Chirp a girl since...well, just because. XD_

* * *

><p>A reminder to the readers about Scythe:<p>

Why he is a 'freak'

1. Slightly larger than av. puffles 2. Darker fur than av. black puffles (not dark gray but almost black) 3. Doesn't squeak; he has a lower voice range/growls 4. Strong telekinesis when angered (able to knock a penguin across a room) 5. Far-sightedness (can't read without the special glasses Chaddy made for him) 6. (No one's noticed this yet) His eyes are tinged with green along the edges.

((Sorry for the brackets.. =w= I'm a bracket person, as you can see. *failz))

* * *

><p><strong>The Scythe Of the Heartless: Chapter 6<strong>

**Creature of the Night**

Hours had passed and Scythe's mood got worse as the time ticked on. There was no way of telling how late it was from inside the windowless Living Quarters. Scythe glanced at the closed door with irritation before he put down his last card.

_I win._

Flare looked at his two remaining cards.

_Darn._

The welder tossed them down on the pile.

_That's four wins for Scythe and four wins for Flare._

Chirp announced as she chalked off the marks.

_It's a tie. As always_.

_Right. Let's leave it at that until next time. I'm getting sick of it._

Flare said as he packed the cards away.

_Same here._

Scythe agreed wearily.

The door of the E. Puffle Living Quarters opened with a whirr. All puffles turned to look. P.H. waddled in.

"Scythe. Come here."

The black puffle hopped over warily.

"Don't give me that look, Scythe," the brown penguin sighed, "I'm taking you back to L. You should be happy."

Scythe was far from feeling happy, but at least the knot of dread in him started loosening.

Slightly.

* * *

><p>P.H. opened the door of L's cabin tentatively. Scythe hopped in. L was slouched on a cream-coloured armchair(probably borrowed since it wasn't there before) and staring into the dying fireplace with vacant eyes. The puffle handler coughed into her flipper.<p>

L looked up.

"Oh. Hi," was her brief greeting at P.H.

Scythe edged towards her.

"Hey there, trouble puffle," she managed a weak smile.

"Thank you, agent P.H., you may leave now."

The brown penguin nodded and vanished swiftly into the evening without a word.

Are you alright?

"Do I look alright?" L asked back wearily. There were definitely a lot of stuff covering her: one on her purple-green flipper (where he bit her), one around her chest (him and Klutzy), one on her right foot (where his chain clobbered it), a big patch on her side (where Dot shot her with a dart) and band-aids on her other flipper and a cheek too (when?).

"I feel like I'm ready to enter the Halloween dressup competition as a zombie or a mummy," she exclaimed bitterly then glanced down at the pouch on the floor where Smoky was already sleeping. Scythe didn't know what to say, even though bitterness was something he also knew well.

L picked him up and embraced him. The black puffle wasn't comfortable with being hugged, but he tolerated this one.

He knew L needed it.

"Let's just call this one bad day and go to sleep. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better one."

The injured penguin put him down, stood up stiffly, like she was still in pain, and walked towards her bunk.

_Are you...sad?_

This was going to an area he did not tread on, but he popped the question anyway. L froze. She craned her head around to look at him.

"Yeah, I guess," she murmured before abruptly turning away and climbing into bed. The fire gave out one last spark and faded, leaving the room in darkness, save for the moonbeams falling through the gap in the curtains onto L's curled up form. The puffle stayed where he was for a moment as he mused over L's confession.

Scythe's night vision was keen, so he had no trouble making it back to his hammock in the semi-darkness.

Suddenly a blast of pure, icy fear filled him, shocking the black puffle into paralysis. The moonlit scene was tugging at his memories, no, even deeper, something was stirring in the depths of his mind. He couldn't remember the cause of his terror, but the lost memory of the previous night revived enough to trigger his reaction to it. Scythe managed to push the wave of panic down to the level where it did not dominate his mind and stop him from thinking.

_What the spike was that?_

He asked himself, heart thudding violently from the onslaught of fear. It had subsided now but a pang of dread and apprehension remained. Scythe gazed around the room wildly. Was the door locked? He hopped over and snapped the bolt shut. Something still wasn't right. The air felt so tense, like it was waiting, someone was waiting. The shadows shifted menacingly at the corner of his eyes, yet when he looked there, they fell back to normal.

_Chill, Scythe. Panic is a hinderance._ He reminded himself scoldingly. Deep breaths calmed him down.

Yes, now that he had control of himself again, he tuned his senses and tested his surroundings properly.

The electric taste in the air was real. Although the silence of the cabin was unshattered save by the breathing of Smoky and L, it was fake. There was the slightest of a low drone. Scythe's keen eyes swept the cabin again. Nothing seemed out of ordinary for now. It felt like he was staring into a two-way mirror. Even though what he saw was his reflection gazing back, there was someone on the other side, watching him too. Watching his every move and waiting to strike.

The puffle knew he couldn't do anything to stop it.

Scythe made his way towards his hammock, paused and decided he wasn't going to sleep there tonight.

L felt something land against her back as she lay on her side. Her uninvited guest had the guts to lift the blanket and snuggle in against her back.

"What's wrong, bad guy?" She asked drowsily.

_Shut up and go to sleep._

"How rude. But I won't object."

She rolled around, careful not to squash him, and slung a flipper over him loosely.

"However... you'll have to be my teddy bear."

_Fine. Now sleep._

Minutes ticked past.

L slowly dropped off into her dreams.

Scythe closed his eyes, but remained on high alert.

Then the sound of whooshing air and the increased static in the air made him snap them wide open. He slipped out carefully from L's loose hold to face the intruder. The hole in the air spurted out dark ooze into a messy puddle on the wooden floor. Shadows slipped off from the corners of the room and circled the puddle. Something formed out from them. Scythe wasn't sure it was. It morphed from a mass of writhing blackness to a skeletal creature, then swelled up to a penguin's shape before melting away into a puffle floating mid-air, just on the same height as he was on the bunk. The pure black puffle opened its eyes, green circles of light, and grinned, showing teeth more fearsome than a shark's.

{Hello again...}

It said playfully in a voice that echoed inside the mind.

Scythe narrowed his eyes.

{Scythe...there are important things I shall tell you...}

_I am not interested. Go away._

{Like you have a choice...}

_Who are you?_ Scythe growled.

The dark puffle twisted sickeningly before becoming solid again. Its eyes turned into crescents as it grinned even more.

{My code-name is Killmore...}

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Eeeeeeeek! Tell me someone totally foresaw that! I hinted in FFF: DS that since GemStone was in P&P and DrowningSea was in there, Killmore was gonna show up sumwhere...

HERE! AHA!

I think I'm obsessed with THEM, those insane creeps. They are characterized by sharp teeth and creepy eyes and weird voices.


	7. Chapter 7: What Happened?

Here's a super short update before...JKDD goes crazy and kills me, CPFan thinks I'm TOTALLY EVIL and hates me, and "I don't have a name" dies because of the cliffhanger. Oh gosh =w=;

Reply to Smiley:

Yes, Scythe is getting a bit soft lol. Your questions...I'm dwelling on them. 8/ To say the truth, I don't even know some of the answers myself, because I haven't thought it all out yet. H&K showing up soon!

_Chapter starts off somewhere later than where the previous one finished, so a lot of their conversation is left in the dark. Pun intented?_

* * *

><p><strong>The Scythe of the Heartless: Chapter Seven<strong>

**What Happened?**

* * *

><p>Night.<p>

Within a certain cabin, something was happening. Lovelesshart tossed uncomfortably in her eerie-shadows stilldreams, Snowy was lost in her own winter wonderland. Meanwhile Scythe faced something that was like a creature made from nightmares. Killmore.

It was silent in the room, but on the telepathic frequency, words were traded between the black puffle and the mock-puffle, words not necessarily pleasant from the real puffle's side. The conversation dragged on into the early hours, and Scythe found his will weakening under the pressure of sleep. Killmore, on the other hand, was completely unaffected. If you tuned in and listened in on their conversation, it would be like this.

...

..

.

_What is this? An invitation to the dark side? _Scythe laced as much venom as he could into that thought. Killmore however was immune to it.

{You don't need an invitation to the so-called dark side, Scythe, you're already there. You were created from it; you belong in it.} 

_Liar..._

{Believe what you want, but the evidence is right here. Everything about you that is different than the other black puffles is not just an accidental twist of DNA. Enough said.}

Killmore shifted his green eyes to focus elsewhere.

On L's sleeping form behind Scythe.

{ But my interest is not mainly on you...}

The black puffle bristled.

{You can't stop me, darkling. But you can entertain me. That's the only way I'll leave her alone for a while.} Killmore suddenly melted away and rematerialized as a penguin. {Right now, on this island, there is one creature that loathes you. You know who. The crab will want revenge, mark my words. But I can offer you a deal...that is, if you'll take it...}

Morning.

L was the first to wake. She opened her eyes and found Scythe sleeping next to her head. Idly she flicked a spiky lock of his' hair'. The puffle immediately flinched and woke up.

"Oops, sorry. Didn't mean to wake you," L smiled.

_It's fine. I'm a light sleeper._

L gazed at him scrutinizingly for a moment.

"Hey, your eyes look different-"

_It's not._ Scythe snapped his eyes shut.

"Well, let's hope it'll be a good morning today," she said cheerfully as she sat up and stretched.

Scythe wasn't surprised at her personality change.

* * *

><p>What? It can't end here! But it does ._. I can feel laziness settling in...<p>

I know this chapter will sprout out a lot of questions. Like "Whaaaah! Dark side? Scythe was what?" or "Didi he say yes or no to the deal Killmore offered? ! ?" or "Why the ... is Killmore interested in L?"

Yeah.

Give me some time to think up the next chapter.

Here's some hints/sneakpeeks about what's coming next:

**Apri-L, the brash, loud, reckless side of L is out on the loose. **_(hey it's April nowz!)_

**And she'll meet...**

**JaQ9 from My Dearest Owner! XD**

Whoot!

*those ppl who haven't read MDO, go now!

You should know what to do... Clicky review button and typey review and clicky submit!

P.S. ! at I don't have a name: I have set up an accout in DeviantArt where I can post up the pictures I drew of L, Scythe, Smoky Fog, and some charas from P&P so you can see how I imagine the characters in my head, but I still have to figure the whole setup out so... X_x but there's a link in my profile.


	8. Chapter 8: ApriL Meets JaQ9

Sorry for the late update...I'm not being lazy, I've been distracted by DeviantArt...it's getting fun. You can go check out my gallery with the half-link in my profile. There's some CP fanfic-related pics in there ;q

* * *

><p><em>Replies:<em>

_At Smiley: Lol you're halfway there (eue)V_

_At JKDD: Scythe doesn't have to be one of THEM, he could become one of THEM... oh shilt, spoiler? 0.e_

_At CPFan: *le gasp!* Non, but I did zay that it waz a zad ztory-..._

_*is le fooled* lol~_

_It took me a few additional seconds to figure out your review and another thing is, IT CLICKED! I suddenly get what eksdi means ...(XD) the sideways letter face! Or is it? :P_

_At LycosTamer: Hey, welcome to my review family~ ;w; thanx for reviewing on all my CP fanfics in one go. Here's an update before you give me a one-way ticket to the next universe. ^o^ It would take some milleniums to get back here and finish these stories, so I'd have to decline your kind offer._

* * *

><p>Announcements:<p>

Right, I've decided that I'm not going to write on FFn anymore. I'm going to move all the stuff to dA (DeviantArt) because over there you hasss... COPYRIGHTS! =J So a few days later, this account might be empty of fics...Thanks for the support up to now people. I'll miss you so much.

(/TwT)/ *hug plz?* Cheers!

* * *

><p><strong>The Scythe of the Heartless: Chapter Eight<strong>

**Apri-L meets JaQ9**

* * *

><p>"Right, she's late again..." A certain penguin muttered to himself as he glanced at his watch. He stared at the empty seat opposite him accusingly, as if that would make the penguin he was waiting for appear out of the thin air.<p>

Suddenly the double doors of the Pizza Parlour slammed open. Everyone within turned their heads to look at the cause of the dramatic entrance. A lime green penguin marched in, raised her flippers to the air and hollered, "Lunchtime! Yeah!" In the stunned silence that followed after the female penguin's loud announcement, the penguin scanned for a seat. All of them were occupied except for...

She strode over to it.

"Hey, is this seat taken?" She asked brightly, like she knew she was going to sit there even if he said it was reserved for a friend.

"Umm...not yet."

The penguin immediately plopped down on the spot.

"Hello," she grinned, "I'm LovelessHart. Reckless, fearless, loveless heart." The lime green penguin stuck out a purple flipper over the table for the other penguin to shake, which he did.

"JaQ9," he introduced himself awkwardly, blown away by her daring, dangerous radiance. And of course, the splatter of blue paint on her left cheek caught his attention too. LovelessHart suddenly craned her head around and yelled, "WAITER. A SEAFOOD PIZZA PLEASE."

A rather disgruntled penguin waddled over. "One seafood pizza, check. What else?"

" I'd like to have a hot shrimp pizza," JaQ9 added.

"Hot shrimp pizza, check. Anything else?"

"A mug of green cream soda! The frothy, foamy ones!" LovelessHart slammed her flipper on the table enthusiastically.

The waiter glanced at LovelessHart before grumbling, "Check. That's all?"

"Yeah. But tell the chefs to be generous with the ingredients. I want my seafood pizza smothered with seafood. If I don't get it that way, I'll go raid the kitchen."

"Tell chefs to be add more ingredients, check."

"You want anything else, JaQ?"

"Uh, a glass of water."

"Glass of water, check."

"That's all?"

"Yeah..."

"That's all, check."

The waiter hurried away to another table calling for him.

LovelessHart stared after the grumpy black penguin.

"He reminds me of someone," she said absentmindedly, and turned back to Ja9. "The service here is terrible. I'll bet fifty coins that you'll get a shrimp pizza."

"But that's what I ordered."

"Not with hot sauce."

"Ok...I'll take it. But do they normally serve green sodas here?"

"They don't. I just want to see what they'll give me instead."

JaQ9 leaned against the back of his chair.

"You're quite a penguin," he remarked.

" I'm not usually like this," she beamed happily, "But thanks."

"Here's your pizza." The waiter dropped the plates on the table with loud clanks and handed them their drinks.

LovelessHart peered into her mug glumly.

"Aw, it's the pink drink. I'm allergic to pink. Can we swap?"

JaQ9 glanced into his glass of melted snow. "Ok."

The lime green penguin picked up her pizza and squawked indignantly.

"What, no squid? That's it. How's yours?"

JaQ9 bit into his pizza.

"You're right. No hot sauce."

LovelessHart stuck out her flipper and JaQ9 handed her fifty coins reluctantly.

"Let's crash the Kitchen."

"What?"

"C'mon. I said if they didn't make the pizza properly, I'd raid the place," LovelessHart jumped off her chair. JaQ9 followed with curiousity. They reached the entrance when suddenly there was loud din in the Kitchen.

The staff ran out yelling.

"Hey, what's going on?" LovelessHart chirped.

"I don't think-"

A large shadow loomed before them. The curtains parted.

It was Herbert with a dozen of steamy, stolen pizzas in the sack he was carrying. (judging by the square stack shape it was...)

"Hahaha! Run, you cowards!" He guffawed as he chewed on his pizza. All the penguins fled in terror.

Except for LovelessHart and JaQ9 who didn't know why he stayed.

"Oh, you," Herbert growled, "you look familiar."

"Yeah, I probably look like someone you've heard of," she remarked.

The polar bear towered over the unfazed female penguin and narrowed his eyes when he saw her paint-plattered face.

"Oh yes, I remember. You were the one who tried capturing Klutzy."

"Yeah! I almost got him," she confirmed cheerfully. JaQ9 gaped at her.

Didn't she know that she was in danger? !

"Ha, then you're coming with me! You'll be a suitable hostage!" Herbert stooped down and snatched the penguin up like she was a small sack of Java beans.

"Hey, wait! You jerk, you blue bushy brow bear! Let go!" She shouted angrily, punching his furry arm to no avail before she got dunked into the big sack he was carrying. Herbert hoisted it over his shoulder, grinning smugly.

"I'm a genius! MWAHAHAHARR! A hostage! Those ever-pesty freaks will be completely defeated! Why didn't I think of this sooner?"

"Let me out, you stupid bean-brained excuse of a failed inventor!" LovelessHart shrieked from inside the sack as she thrashed around wildly.

"What? I'll make you take that back, you water chicken!" Herbert roared and gave the sack a rough shake.

During the exchange of name-calling phrases betwee the two, JaQ9 ducked behind the counter wisely. He had to report this fast!

"NO WAY!"

"Aaargh, you're getting on my nerves-"

Herbert remembered on the spot that he hadn't got the time to mess around if he wanted to make a quick exit without those EPF weaklings interveneing. The polar bear ran to the Kitchen and out through the opening he had carved into the wall.

"That's no food for you today then!"

"What, are you kidding me, bushybluebrowbear? I literally suffocating in pizza boxes fulled with PIZZA! I'm eating them now! Right NOW!"

"YOU LITTLE-"

And Herbert and his talking penguin-and-pizzas sack disappeared around the trees.

* * *

><p>Apri'L seems a little hyper, foolish and loud-mouthed...but hey, it's April Fools. XD Abducteeeeeeeeeed~<p>

Bringing JaQ9 in is just a quick story meshing between two fics, he's not gonna be in here anymore. Someone else is.

Oh and...

**HAPPY BELATED LAME APRIL FOOLS JOKE.**

I'll still be writing on FFn, even though I'm also working on dA.

^^; ... *bricked*

I don't think Scythe's going to be happy when he hears of this penguinsnatching... 0u0 Herbert ,watch out.

* * *

><p>Trivia about MDO:<p>

JaQ9 and SugarAnne16 were based off real people I knew (names) , but what happens in the story is completely made up by me 0w0... For people who have seen the newest catalogue, April 2012, at the Gift Shop, JaQ9 looks similar to the penguin with the wig 'Tallest Haircut' (real life person and penguin look super alike, same hair, I guess XD) and SugarAnne would be something like the penguin next to it with the Sweet Knot' wig.


	9. Chapter 9: Questions Questions

I was pretty surprised when LycosTamer went the extra mile to PM me and threaten me to update this. So yeah. SSUP. (supershortupdateplz)

But remember, this might be the last time I'll update after being threatened~ ;q Next time I'll ignore you guys...

Important thing is, here I've gone off my original plot line to try something new. This is dah fork in the road. *nudges the fork on the ground with a toe* If it doesn't work out, then I'm hopping right to the previous chapter to restart on what I had planned originally...but then if all goes well...*shrugs*

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><p><strong>The Scythe of the Heartless: Chapter Nine<strong>

**Questions, Questions**

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><p>Something bad had happened, Scythe was sure of it. Why else would an agent come to pick him up from L's cabin and bring him back to the Elite Puffles like they knew for certain that L would not be back for a long extent of time?<p>

The black puffle growled with displeasure.

Yesterday, and now today again. Why couldn't there be a day of peace for once? Scythe paced the floor of the Puffle Quarters with frustration.  
>He wanted to know very badly why his caretaker wasn't back like she promised earlier in the day as she left, and what was causing the commotion amongst the EPF agents, he wanted- he NEEDED to know, or else this bothersome, unsettling feeling would not leave him until then.<p>

But who would care to tell a puffle about what was going on? The penguins had always regarded puffles as creatures with normal animal intelligence, and if the penguins found out that, no, some puffles were just as intelligent in mind as them, or maybe even smarter, that would unsettle them. Better pretend to be dumb beasts if you wanted to avoid having interracial problems with a species that regarded themselves as the superior. Simply put, he wouldn't get his questions answered just by asking a penguin.

So today, he wasn't going to stay wait around as dumbly as he did yesterday; he was going to have to find a way to go out there and get those answers himself. And probably go solve it out too.

But alone, it was impossible.

He might have to ask for help from his allies... and someone else he didn't particularly like.

* * *

><p>Rookie hurried through the corridors of the EPF facilities. He still couldn't believe that the polar bear had taken an agent hostage. And out of all the penguins he could have picked, it had to be LovelessHart. The odd-minded penguin teased him dreadfully sometimes, but there were days when she seemed to have turned into a new leaf because she treated him to coffee and friendly chats, rare as those days were. Maybe she was just misunderstood. But since Herbert was demanding an absurd ransom for her release, everyone at the emergency gathering was completely stumped; even now some of the specialist were still thinking on a rescue plan that had a chance of succeeding without having to place anyone in danger.<p>

Rookie turned aroung a bend -  
>and saw two rather foreboding penguins he was sure he'd never met before walking right towards him. Both of them were wearing heavily-tinted visor sunglasses that concealed their eyes. Somehow, he could tell that they weren't exactly good news. The green penguin tried pressing himself against the wall as the deadly-looking duo appraoched.<p>

_Just go past, just go past, you don't see me here,_ the green penguin hoped desperately.

"Hey, you."

_Just my luck..._

Rookie cracked one eye open nervously.

"Um, hi?"

The shorter of the two penguins, the black one with the green visor and the dark earmuffs, stepped forward.

"What was the cause of the emergency call?" He asked bluntly. Rookie tried backing away, but found that he was already against the wall. The penguin was still a metre away from his, but it already felt too close for comfort, like it was a monster breathing down his neck.

"Whuh, uh, I- right- you two - erm- who?" Rookie stammered incorhently.

The taller, yellow-coloured penguin wearing the silver-orange shades and the weird black beanie hat with two owl ears(?) jutting out from the top put a restraining flipper on his companion's raven-haired head.

"Heheh, sorry. Let me introduce ourselves. We're from Sector Six," he said mock-cordially as he gestured around with his other flipper, like he was plucking words out of the air or purposely addling Rookie with the exaggerated movements.

"I'm Reyzer, he's Bleyd: we're the Harpoon brothers. We were busy handling a culprit case during the emergency call, so we missed the meeting," the ash-blonde penguin who introduced himself as Reyzer had a sharky grin plastered on his beak as he spoke, "Mind filling us in, fellow agent?"

"Uuuuum..." Rookie stared at their jet black jackets decorated with shiny metal buckles and leather straps. The Harpoon brothers didn't look like they tolerated much messing around or took the time to being friendly with simple, good intentions. And it was disorientating that Rookie couldn't see their eyes behind the reflection of lights on their visor shades even though he was also wearing sunglasses himself.

"Herbert's holding one of our agents, LovelessHart, hostage and demanding a ransom of firewood and veggie pizzas," Rookie reported nervously, "He threatens to hurt her if we don't give him the ransom in a day. We are still discussing on how we could rescue her - or whether we should just give Herbert the ransom and let him get away with it."

The short penguin with the fur collar coat, Bleyd, gave a short 'tsk' under his breath.

"Useless. They sit there chatting on what to do while someone's in danger," he muttered.

"Well, they aren't exactly chatting, they're planning on how to do it the safe way..." Rookie found himself on the defensive.

"It's the same thing." Bleyd scowled, "I'm going."

Reyzer gave his brother a sideways punch on the back. "Well, my job ends here. You'll have to go solo, bro."

"Perfectly fine by me." Without saying another word, the black penguin stalked away.

"Remember our motto: 'Playin' rough, that's how we roll!' And then?" Reyzer yelled after him.

" - ' Because no fun means no show.' I know that, feepers!" was Bleyd's retorted reply as he rounded the bend, grumbling under his breath. Reyzer chuckled as if he took great enjoyment from egging his brother a lot. "Oh, my little brother. Always the serious dude. He's almost worse than that jet pack penguin..."

Rookie froze when the ash blonde penguin turned back to him.

"Oh, by the way, greenie, you should forget that you ever met us, 'cause we're the EPF's super secret super elite team kept a secret from other secret agents so you just saw the words 'classified, TOP-secret' alive." Reyzer winked playfully. "Just a helpful advice to you."

* * *

><p>A moment later, Rookie hurried down the corridor.<p>

If someone had asked him if he met anyone on his way, the agent would have tilted his head to one side, looked at the penguin with obvious confusion and say, "No...? Was I supposed to?"

* * *

><p><em>Something fishy? Well, the ReyzerBleyd Harpoons...I love their names OwO What sharp, edgy, smexy names~ *bricked* Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you reviewed and asked some questions (it helps with my plot-forming trackway) ;p<em>

_EDIT: Get ready for a filler chapter. ;6_


	10. Chapter 10: The Second Beginning

**Scythe of the Heartless**

**Chapter 10: The Second Beginning**

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><p>Somewhere in the air duct system of the EPF, a loud racket was going on. Many penguins raised their heads to look at the ceiling with confused concern as echoes of roars and clattering rattled above their offices, fading away after a few seconds. Somewhere in the Puffle Quarters, a small gathering of puffles watched on as a black puffle fitted the panel back into place. A certain purple puffle was squeaking in complaint, but no one paid her any heed. Several technicians scrambled to look at the screen that showed the object hurtling through the air shafts, babbling nervously as they wondered how this object managed to bust through the filters which were especially fitted in to halt little 'intruders'. They had no idea how easily the filters splintered under the power of a determined puffle. Before they could do anything to remove this mysterious thing in the air ducts, it was already blasting towards the surface, leaving a scorch mark in its wake.<p>

...  
>One of the stack heads near the surface began shaking violently. Then, abrupt silence. A small portion of it gradually started glowing red hot. With a forceful push of telekinesis, it dented, twisted, and split open, green flames flickering out from between the gap. The puffle within rocketed out in a blaze and took to the skies, towards the mountains, faster than the average jetpack, its fire fueled by pure urgency and rage.<p>

* * *

><p>Somewhere in the forest, a penguin on a sleek camoflauge-patterned snowmobile threaded his way between the pines skillfully. His blue goggles and earmuffs served their use as he faced the numbingly cold wind. Why he was joining in? Only his elder brother, currently reclining in his own quarters with a mug of cocoa, knew what the object he carried with him could do.<p>

* * *

><p>Somewhere inside a polar bear's lair, a penguin bound in ropes felt her head tingling with dread before her thoughts became jumbled as they re-aligned themselves. After a few seconds, her eyes gleamed with renewed life, but the lunatic, lopsided grin on her beak bore an ill omen.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>FYIs: Flare's flame lessons seems to have payed off on Scythe pretty quick, but why has it turned green?<strong>

_Author's note:_

_Thanks for the reviews and suggestions; I've applied Anon's suggestion of escaping by air ducts here, so credit for the idea goes to you! :)_

_Now it's serious time. Alright._

_I think I have a way out of this mess. I think. _

_You know, when I read this whole story from the beginning again after a looong break from writing, I see how childish and goofy I was. I sounded so hyper. But hopefully I've matured enough. _

_What I'm going to do now, if I ever have enough time off tiresome school,_ _is I'm going to go over every chapter and do a revision of it. I'm going to take away most of my replies, status reports and stuff, tweak a few details, and yup. _

_So you can consider me half active again, thanks to your reviews. _

_Yeah._

_Let's hope I don't make a flip-flop on this now. _

_c:_


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